Mitsui's Cousin
by atsuzen the tensai
Summary: Mitsui has a cousin, and she's coming to Shohoku to haunt him! But Mitsui tries a counter attack ...
1. Mitsui's Headache

MITSUI'S COUSIN  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Mitsui paced around the basketball court, his head facing the floor, talking to himself. He had been like this all day; his face was dead pale and he ignored everyone who tried to talk to him. He seemed to be worrying about something . but he never said anything about it. Then, one of the doors opened. Mitsui hadn't took notice of it and bumped into the door, sending him flying backwards.  
  
"Oww ." Mitsui groaned, massaging his forehead.  
  
He looked up to see who had come in.  
  
"Akagi-sempai?"  
  
Akagi's huge gorilla-like face looked down on the fallen Mitsui.  
  
"Get up," he said.  
  
Mitsui pulled himself up. The rest of the basketball team members strolled in to the gym.  
  
"Ne, Micchy. What's wrong with you?" asked Ryota, sniggering at his swollen forehead.  
  
"It's-it's nothing, really ." Mitsui replied.  
  
Kogure put a hand on Mitsui's shoulder.  
  
"Come on, we're teammates. You can tell us your problem and maybe we can all solve it for you," said Kogure, smiling. "I can't stand seeing one of my friends suffering."  
  
Mitsui sighed.  
  
"It's just that-that . uh ."  
  
"Spit it out, lumpy head," said Sakuragi.  
  
"My-my cousin's moving to Shohoku tomorrow," Mitsui finally said, heaving a long sigh.  
  
"Nani?! You mean that your COUSIN is worrying you till you look half-dead?" said Ryota, raising an eyebrow. "It's not that your cousin is a human- eating monster, right?"  
  
"You don't understand ." Mitsui shook his head. "She's a nightmare."  
  
"SHE?" said Ryota. "How bad can -"  
  
"Please don't interrupt him, Ryota-san," said Kogure.  
  
"She's an ex-gangster -"  
  
"Like you!" Sakuragi shouted. Ryota elbowed him in the chest.  
  
"She loves to pick up fights -"  
  
"Just like you!" Sakuragi shouted again. Ryota punched his stomach.  
  
"She's totally insensible -"  
  
"Like you!" Ryota shouted, pointing at Sakuragi. Sakuragi gave Ryota a major head-butt.  
  
"She loves to call people dumb names -"  
  
"LIKE YOU!" Sakuragi shouted, pointing and Ryota. The two of them started punching each other.  
  
"- and she plays basketball."  
  
"Basketball?" said Kogure. "That's good to hear."  
  
Mitsui shook his head. "She's very selfish and plays as though she's the only one playing."  
  
"LIKE YOU!" Sakuragi and Ryota shouted at Rukawa. Rukawa threw the basketball he was holding at them, missing Ryota by inches but it hit Sakuragi's face, squashing it like a pancake.  
  
"Do'aho ." Rukawa muttered.  
  
"She's in her first year and bullies the seniors," Mitsui added. "She always wins the fights and sometimes sends the big guys to the hospital."  
  
"That's a bad cousin, all right ." said Ryota.  
  
"Don't worry, Mitchan! I shall conquer her tiny self and squish her like a hatcape!" Sakuragi said, laughing insanely.  
  
"It's PANCAKE, Sakuragi," said Kogure.  
  
"Oy, what are you doing there?!" shouted Akagi. "Practise! We have a game against Ryonan in two days!"  
  
"Ryonan?" said Mitsui. "The day after tomorrow?"  
  
"You forgot about it?" said Ryota. "You're blur, aren't you?"  
  
"Iya, iya . it's just that . I forget about everything whenever I think about my cousin ... all I think about is how badly tortured I'd get."  
  
"Ryota! Mitsui! Didn't you hear what I said just now?!" Akagi roared. He pulled Ryota and Mitsui to the center of the court.  
  
"Dribble!" he said.  
  
Ryota and Mitsui picked up a basketball and dribbled it. They stared at each other, squinted their eyes and then burst out laughing all of a sudden. They shouldn't have - because Akagi got so mad at them that he gave them the famous 'Gorilla Head Punch' and made them run around the court ten times.  
  
***  
  
Mitsui woke up the next day, his head and legs still aching from yesterday's basketball practice. He brushed his teeth and had a light breakfast before he started his daily morning exercise. Then, he left for school as usual. Everything seemed different from yesterday. He was much more cheerful compared to what he was yesterday. Mitsui tried to remember what worried him so much yesterday - he might have forgotten it after his body started to ache during Akagi's life-threatening practice.  
  
He walked to school and headed to the basketball court. Everything and everyone was as normal as you could get, until -  
  
"TEME, BAKA!"  
  
Mitsui heard someone shouting and punching another person - it must be a fight. He had the urge to go and check it out, as fights were normally entertaining. He turned round the corridor and saw not one, but three big guys moaning on the ground, clutching their stomachs. Then, he saw three girls standing at the same spot, two of them shaking violently at a corner and one of them grinning maliciously.  
  
"Ikuzo. I don't want to pick a fight with the same people again," said the girl who was grinning.  
  
They walked past Mitsui and into the crowd of students in the school compound. Suddenly, something struck Mitsui's mind. That girl . her red hair . the purple eyes . it was his cousin! 


	2. How much trouble can a cousin cause?

Chapter 2  
  
Mitsui slapped his forehead hard. How could he forget? It was no wonder why his morning was much better than the last. He walked over to the badly injured victims to see how far his deadly cousin had gone.  
  
"Urgh . ach . Mi-Mitchan ."  
  
"Hotta!" Mitsui blurted out. "How did you get into a fight with that girl?"  
  
"W-we k-kicked and p-punched her b-because she c-called us g-giant senior elephants ." Hotta stuttered. It was hard for him to talk because his lips were swollen.  
  
Mitsui sighed.  
  
"You shouldn't have ."  
  
"I p-promise I w-won't fight a-anymore for t-the rest of t-the year ." Hotta managed to say through his now thick-goldfish lips.  
  
Mitsui patted Hotta's shoulder.  
  
"Gomen, but I have to go now. Hope you get well soon, Hotta."  
  
Mitsui headed to the basketball gym. This was terrible. She got into a fight on her first day in Shohoku. He dreaded to think what might happen next. The last time he saw her was in Higetou Junior High, which was three years ago. The worst thing she had ever done was spitting chewing gum onto one of the bald teachers' head. Mitsui opened the door of the gym to find Sakuragi and Rukawa debating on whose shoes looked nicer.  
  
"Yours are so dull and plain, Rukawa!" shouted Sakuragi.  
  
"Do'aho . your shoes are so dirty," said Rukawa.  
  
"Teme, Rukawa!" Sakuragi retorted. "Yours are even dirtier!"  
  
"I'm not the one who's dirty; you are."  
  
"Dirty?! I'm not dirty! You are! It's just that-that . I ran out of shoe washing stuff!" Sakuragi lied.  
  
"Liar."  
  
"I'm not lying!" shouted Sakuragi, his face turning red.  
  
"You just need to use soap and water, do'aho ."  
  
"I knew that!"  
  
"No, you didn't."  
  
"Yes, I did!"  
  
Rukawa didn't reply.  
  
"Ha! So now you know that you're wrong, eh, kitsune?"  
  
"Do'aho."  
  
"Teme, Rukawa!"  
  
"Ne, yamero," Mitsui finally said, stepping into the court.  
  
"Eh? Micchy?" said Sakuragi.  
  
"Stop it. Akagi's coming. You don't want to get hit again, do you?" said Mitsui.  
  
Even before Sakuragi could reply, Akagi and the rest of the players walked into the gym, followed by Ayako.  
  
"Line up, Shohoku!" shouted Akagi.  
  
Everyone made a straight line in front of captain Akagi.  
  
"Run around the court twenty times! No stopping!"  
  
"Hai!"  
  
Mitsui ran at the back of the pack, still thinking about his dreadful cousin. Then, as if his nightmare could still get worse, the gym door opened and in came . who else but his cousin?  
  
"Shimatta ." Mitsui muttered to himself. What was his cousin doing in the basketball gym?  
  
She walked over to Ayako, who greeted her with a hug. Mitsui could not hear what they were talking about, but he still kept his eyes on them. Suddenly, a thought struck Mitsui.  
  
"Masaka . did she join?"  
  
Did his cousin join the basketball team? No-it can't be . it just couldn't be . it would be all over for Mitsui if she did.  
  
"Oi, Micchy, look where you're going," said Ryota, who was running beside him. "You might run into someone."  
  
Mitsui couldn't take his eyes away from his cousin. He really wanted to know the reason why she was in the gym.  
  
"Mitsui-san! Watch out!" shouted Yasuda.  
  
Mitsui turned his head in time only to see a solid wall in front of his eyes. The only problem was that he couldn't stop in time, so he hit the wall, head first. He fell backwards.  
  
"Mitsui-san! Daijoubu ka?" asked Kogure.  
  
"Daijoubu . daijoubu ." he replied. He straightened himself up and ran with the rest again. However, he still kept his eyes on his cousin even though he had to risk himself bumping into the wall again.  
  
"Dash!" shouted Akagi.  
  
The whole team ran as fast as they could while trying to avoid colliding into each other. Mitsui could see that his cousin seemed to have a dirty plan; there was a malicious grin on her face. As Mitsui ran past Ayako and Anzai-sensei, he came face to face with his cousin, not knowing that he was going to be her victim. She quickly stuck her leg out to make Mitsui trip and fall. Of course, her plan worked and he fell again, hitting his head hard on the floor.  
  
"Micchy, are you sick or something?" asked Sakuragi. "You need glasses like megane-kun."  
  
Mitsui instantly got up, tolerating the pain in his head and faced his cousin.  
  
"MIYAZAKI SHIZUMI!!! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!" Mitsui yelled into his cousin's ear.  
  
"For fun," she replied, grinning.  
  
"You know her?" asked Ryota.  
  
"I'm his cousin," said Shizumi.  
  
"NANI?!" the whole team burst out.  
  
"So-so YOU'RE his cousin?!" said Kogure, sweating. "H-hajimemashite, Shizumi-san."  
  
"Hajimemashite, oto-san!" said Shizumi cheekily.  
  
"Oto-san?" chorused Kuwata, Ishii and Sasaoka.  
  
Mitsui slapped his forehead.  
  
"I-I'm not your father!" said Kogure.  
  
"She's just giving you a nickname. Beware because she's going to give EVERYONE a nickname," said Mitsui.  
  
"Oy, sushi-san, shut up for a minute, will you?" said Shizumi.  
  
"Sushi-san?" chorused Kuwata, Ishii and Sasaoka.  
  
"I've already got one," sighed Mitsui.  
  
"Ne, muffin head, pass me that basketball," she said to Ryota.  
  
"Muffin head?" chorused Kuwata, Ishii and Sasaoka.  
  
"Muffin head?! I'm not giving the ball to you unless you call me Ryota," said Ryota, bewildered with the name she had just given him.  
  
"Muffin head number two, pass me the ball."  
  
"Number two?" chorused Kuwata, Ishii and Sasaoka.  
  
"Will the three of you stop doing that?!" said Ryota. "I'll hit you the next time you do it!"  
  
"Oy, I want the ball, muffin."  
  
"Watashi?" said Kuwata, pointing to himself.  
  
"Yeah, you."  
  
Kuwata picked up the basketball and tossed it to Shizumi. She immediately started dribbling it and ran towards the basketball hoop. Everyone gave way and watched her play. She jumped and did a 3-point shot.  
  
"Show-off," muttered Mitsui.  
  
The ball went through the hoop neatly.  
  
"Sugoi ." said Kogure.  
  
Suddenly, Sakuragi started to laugh insanely. He stuck his hands into his pants.  
  
"That was nothing! Even the tensai basketball man Sakuragi Hanamichi could do that!"  
  
Shizumi turned to Sakuragi.  
  
"What did you just say, red-haired baboon?"  
  
"Red-haired baboon?" said Shiozaki to Yasuda. "I dread to think what she might call us."  
  
"I'll call you goldfish," Shizumi said to Shiozaki.  
  
"G-goldfish?!"  
  
"- and I'll call you tiny eyes."  
  
"Tiny eyes?!" Yasuda blurted out.  
  
"- and I'll call you tiny eyes number two," she said to Kakuta, who was standing behind them.  
  
Ishii and Sasaoka, who were right beside Shizumi, noticed how dangerous she was and hid behind Kuwata.  
  
"Matte, you haven't got your nicknames yet!" said Shizumi, pulling Ishii and Sasaoka away from Kuwata. She had to pull harder than usual because they were hanging on to Kuwata's T-shirt.  
  
She placed her left hand on Ishii's right shoulder.  
  
"I knight thee, Sir Baldie Megane."  
  
Then she turned to Sasaoka and placed her right hand on his left shoulder.  
  
"I knight thee, Sir Shittake."  
  
With her hands on their shoulders, she pulled the two of them together and knocked them into each other.  
  
"Itai ." muttered Ishii and Sasaoka, lying on the floor while massaging their heads.  
  
"Hmm . I've missed out someone ." said Shizumi, rubbing her chin while looking around.  
  
Rukawa pretended to look innocent.  
  
"Hah, you can't hide, Rukawa!" shouted Sakuragi.  
  
"Ah, yes . I've missed the star player out," said Shizumi. "I'll call you . onee-chan!"  
  
"Nani?!" Rukawa blurted out, his eyes larger than usual.  
  
"Onee-chan?" chorused Kuwata, Ishii and Sasaoka.  
  
BOK! DOK! TOK!  
  
Ryota hit their heads with his super-hard fists.  
  
"Argh! Didn't I tell you to stop doing that?!" said Ryota, annoyed.  
  
"Gomen, Ryota-san," said Sasaoka, rubbing his head.  
  
"Onee-chan! Onee-chan!" Shizumi repeated.  
  
Rukawa gave Shizumi a killer look. He picked up a basketball and threw it at Shizumi, who ducked. She threw the ball back Rukawa, but she missed. Akagi stood frozen like a statue in the middle of the court, watching everything that had happened from the beginning and had not said a word. Then, he exploded.  
  
"BAKAMOONGA!" he roared. He punched Rukawa and Shizumi's heads.  
  
"Itai ." Shizumi groaned, rubbing her head. "Ne, what did you do that for, fish gorilla?!"  
  
Akagi's face turned red, his veins were throbbing till everyone could see the outline of it on his face.  
  
"WHAT-DID-YOU-CALL-ME?!" he shouted.  
  
"Uh oh," said Mitsui. "Not again."  
  
"Fish gorilla. It's a nice nickname, don't you think?" she replied, grinning. "Your ape face and thick goldfish lips tells the whole story."  
  
Akagi couldn't take it anymore. He released his anger by throwing Yasuda out of the gym.  
  
"Yasu!" said Kogure. He ran outside to see what had happened to Yasuda. Shiozaki and Kakuta followed him.  
  
"Yamette, Shizumi-san. You've caused enough trouble already," said Mitsui, placing a hand on Shizumi's red head.  
  
"All right, but I dare you to find someone who can stop me from causing more trouble, sushi king," said Shizumi. "Well . that is, if you WANT me to stop."  
  
"Deal," replied Mitsui.  
  
They shook hands.  
  
"I guess I'll be going now. Ja'na, minna-san," said Shizumi to the rest. "I'll be back again tomorrow. Matash'ta!"  
  
Shizumi left the gym and everyone gave a sign of great relief.  
  
"That cousin of yours is a pain in the head, Mitsui," said Akagi, his face still as red as Sakuragi's hair. "I don't want anymore nonsense or I'll kill you."  
  
"Hai, sempai."  
  
Mitsui walked to Ayako.  
  
"Did YOU ask her to come?!" asked Mitsui.  
  
"Yeah, she was my friend during elementary school," Ayako replied. "She's good at basketball, so I asked her to join."  
  
"JOIN?!" Mitsui exploded, pulling his hair. "NO! THIS IS THE END OF MY LIFE!"  
  
Ayako patted Mitsui's back.  
  
"Don't worry, Mitsui-sempai. I'm sure it'll be all right in a few weeks." 


	3. And the story goes on

Chapter 3  
  
It was dead silent outside. The dark sky was covered with bright stars and the moon. Everyone was tucked away in their beds, sleeping, except for one. Mitsui lied down on his red, basketball-covered bed in his bedroom, staring at the ceiling, thinking about his cousin. Who could stop her? He definitely couldn't do it . he had tried countless times, but he always ended up getting a punch in the face.  
  
Shizumi's father and mother were in America; they were always traveling around the world and Shizumi was left all alone in their house. They hardly spent their time with their daughter. That was the main reason why Shizumi had a bad attitude. Her parents had started their journey ever since she was only eight years old.  
  
Out of boredom, she joined a group of junior high school students who turned out to be gangsters when she was ten. She was hospitalized twice when she got involved in several fights with high school students. She was kicked out of the group two years later when they knew she could play basketball; they probably hated basketball for that matter.  
  
RING! RING! RING!  
  
The phone was ringing. Who would call at a time like this? Mitsui got up and picked up the phone.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
He knew he sounded rude, but he was in a bad mood, so he didn't care much.  
  
"Ne, Micchy, how's it going? Daijoubu deska?"  
  
"Oh, it's you, Ryochin . I'm fine ."  
  
"You don't sound fine. If you don't sound fine, you don't feel fine, and you won't play fine basketball."  
  
"It's probably just the phone line ."  
  
"No, it isn't. Come on, Micchy. Get a hold of yourself. She's your cousin. You're older than her. Deal with her. Don't tell me you're scared of her?"  
  
"Of course I'm not scared of her! It's just that . that ."  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Mum doesn't want me to do anything to her."  
  
"But your parents are away now, right? It wouldn't hurt to just give her a good slap in the face, would it? I'd do it for you if someone gave me a chance to do it."  
  
Mitsui sighed.  
  
"I guess you're right, Ryochin. But what if I can't stop her?"  
  
"These sort of problems will sort themselves out, Micchy. Who knows what might happen . maybe she'd be the next Head Prefect?"  
  
He smiled.  
  
"Arigatou, Ryota."  
  
He put down the phone and lied on the bed, hugging his pillow. He felt a bit better. He felt more like sleeping now. He closed his eyes and tried to forget about his troublesome cousin.  
  
***  
  
"Shohoku!" roared Akagi. "We're strong, remember that! Don't let Ryonan beat us! Show them that we're better than them!"  
  
Everyone stared at the bunch of giant Shohoku basketball players.  
  
" . Akagi-sempai . don't shout, please . we're in a public train," said Kogure.  
  
"Go, Shohoku!" shouted Sakuragi, standing up and raising his right fist.  
  
"Ah! Not you, Sakuragi-kun!" said Kogure, pushing Sakuragi back to his seat.  
  
"Ryonan? . I've never heard of them before," said Shizumi. "They're just a bunch of lousy monkeys, right?"  
  
"Lousy?" said Ayako, startled. "No, they aren't!"  
  
"We're better than them, aren't we?" said Shizumi.  
  
"Yes, we are, but that doesn't mean that they're LOUSY," said Mitsui, rolling his eyes. "They have Sendoh, but we have Rukawa."  
  
"Who's Sendoh? - and what's so good about Rukawa? Isn't he just like you? He hardly talks, anyway . and look at his face-BLUR! What kind of ace is that?"  
  
Rukawa's eyes widened. He heard what Shizumi said and felt like strangling her. Instead, he got up and said, "Do you want to die?"  
  
"Rukawa-kun!" said Ayako. "Watch your manners! Everyone can hear you!"  
  
Shizumi stood up.  
  
"What if I want to? What would you do? Kill me?"  
  
"Stop it, Shizumi. Sit down, the train is still moving," said Mitsui, tugging on Shizumi's t-shirt.  
  
She ignored him and stared at Rukawa, not blinking at all. For a short moment, it looked as if there were streaks of lightning bolts coming out of their eyes.  
  
"Teme, do'aho!" said Rukawa, preparing to punch her, but Mitsui stood up and stopped him.  
  
"Yamette," said Mitsui. "Stop it, the two of you."  
  
Rukawa made a 'hmph' sound and walked back to his seat, giving Shizumi a 'you-will-regret' look. Shizumi replied it by sticking out her tongue at him. After ten minutes, they got off the train and walked to Ryonan High. They were greeted at the entrance gate by Hikoichi Aida, who had a very wide smile that day.  
  
"O'hayo, minna-san!" Hikoichi greeted cheerfully. He seemed to be extra- happy today. "Taoka-sensei is waiting for you in the gym. He hopes all of you are in perfect shape because Sendoh, Fukuda and Uozumi are in their best condition today! I don't really know who might win today . everyone seems so confident. Maybe Ryonan might win because Taoka-sensei has been making us practice day and night everyday . or maybe Shohoku might win because -"  
  
"We've been training enough, Hikoichi," said Akagi. "Now shut up and get out of our way."  
  
They forced their way through, pushing Hikoichi aside. They made their way to the basketball gym and opened the door.  
  
"Hey, human beings of Ryonan!" said Shizumi. "How's it going, big bros?"  
  
Everyone stared at Shizumi, not recognizing her as she was a new student at Shohoku. Akagi put his hand on Shizumi's mouth to shut her up before she said anything else.  
  
"Who was that?" asked Uozumi.  
  
"A disturbing flea," Akagi replied.  
  
Shizumi forced Akagi's hands away from her mouth.  
  
"Yuck! Your hand stinks!" she coughed. "And I'm not a flea, you baka! I'm the tensai Miyazaki Shizumi!"  
  
"Tensai?! Ne, I'm the tensai, not you!" said Sakuragi, hopping in front of Shizumi.  
  
"You? You don't look like a tensai to me!" laughed Shizumi. "You're the monkey, remember?"  
  
Ryota and Mitsui sniggered at a corner.  
  
"Who're you laughing at?!" snarled Sakuragi.  
  
They looked away and whistled innocently.  
  
"Can we just start this game?" said Sendoh.  
  
"Right, Sendoh," said Uozumi.  
  
"Nandato?! You're Sendoh?!" said Shizumi. "Sendoh Akira?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Shizumi's eyes started to water, and then she burst out laughing. Kogure, Ayako and the rest of the team had no choice but to tie her up and shut her mouth with a piece of cloth. The starting members, Rukawa, Sakuragi, Ryota, Mitsui and Akagi stepped into the court and got ready for the game. The referee blew the whistle, signaling that the game was about to start.  
  
"Remember the long, hard practices, Ryonan!" shouted Taoka-sensei. "Hard work pays off! Do your best!"  
  
"Kambate o, Shohoku!" shouted Kogure.  
  
"Do your best, Shohoku!" shouted Ayako.  
  
"Ohohohoho ." chuckled Anzai-sensei.  
  
There was a rustling sound coming from behind. Shizumi was struggling to free herself from the ropes that Ayako used to tie her up with. She kept banging herself on the wall to make some noise.  
  
"We'll free you after the game, Shizumi," said Kogure.  
  
Shizumi frowned. She shook her head.  
  
"Promise me you won't make anymore noise and I'll free you," said Ayako.  
  
Shizumi nodded. Ayako cut the ropes off and took the cloth away from her mouth.  
  
"Arigatou gozaimas, one-san," said Shizumi, walking out of the gym.  
  
"Ne, where're you going?" asked Kuwata.  
  
"Somewhere out there . probably over the rainbow if I could."  
  
The game had already started by the time Shizumi left. Akagi had managed to tap the ball before Uozumi could and Sakuragi caught it.  
  
"Ike, ike, Sakuragi!"  
  
"Ike, ike, Hanamichi!"  
  
"Go, go, Sakuragi!"  
  
"Fight, fight, Hanamichi!"  
  
"Make a fool of yourself, Sakuragi!"  
  
It was Sakuragi's gang, cheering for him loudly. Next to them was .  
  
"Shizumi! I thought I told you not to make any noise?!" Ayako shouted from the Shohoku bench.  
  
"I'm here as a spectator, and spectators cheer loudly for the team they support, right?" replied Shizumi.  
  
"But you're not cheering! You're criticizing!"  
  
"Don't worry, Ayako! We'll handle her!" said Noma.  
  
"We'll punch her if she says anything bad!" said Takamiya.  
  
"I'll punch you before you punch me, fatty tofu," said Shizumi.  
  
Ookutsu, Noma and Mito burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs.  
  
"Good one, Shizumi!" said Mito.  
  
"I never knew Takamiya was fat enough to be called a tofu!" said Ookutsu, tears of laughter streaming down his face.  
  
"Baka!" said Takamiya. "You wanna fight?!"  
  
Haruko, Fujii and Matsui, who were standing not far from them, heard their conversation.  
  
"Nani?! They're starting a fight?" said Haruko, a worried look on her face. "They can't fight in here!"  
  
"That girl's just a troublemaker, Haruko," said Matsui. "Let her be."  
  
"You sound like you hate her, Matsui," said Fujii.  
  
"She called me a hairy goldfish yesterday," replied Matsui.  
  
"That's bad ." said Haruko.  
  
Shizumi and Takamiya were about to start their fight when Mito, Ookutsu and Noma pulled them apart.  
  
"You'd better not fight here or we'll be kicked out," said Mito.  
  
Takamiya glared at Shizumi.  
  
"All right, I'll make it fair, then," said Shizumi. "ALL of you will have nicknames!  
  
"NANI?!" Mito, Noma and Ookutsu exploded. "No, no, no . don't ."  
  
"I'll call you a giraffe, Ookutsu," Shizumi began. "You'll be the mussytacchy man, Noma. Mito will be . Sir Piece Of Cake!"  
  
"Sir Piece of Cake?" said Mito.  
  
"Ora, ora, ora! Akagi's gonna do the famous gorilla dunk!" said Takamiya, pointing at Akagi.  
  
He was about to jump when Uozumi blocked his way and slapped the ball out of his hands. Sendoh caught it and did a swift attack. He passed the ball to Koshino, who did a successful 3-point shot.  
  
"Yosh, Koshino-san!" said Sendoh, giving Koshino a high-five.  
  
"Ne, it's not fair!" said Shizumi. "It's just not fair!"  
  
Sendoh and Koshino looked up.  
  
"Not fair?" said Koshino.  
  
"Shohoku's supposed to score first!" she said. "The winning team always scores first, right?"  
  
"Winning team?" said Sendoh. He laughed. "How can you tell who's the winner when the game has just started?"  
  
"That's because -"  
  
Mito covered Shizumi's mouth with his hand to stop her from saying anything else.  
  
"Sumimasen, Sendoh-san!" Mito apologized.  
  
The game continued. After the first half ended, Shohoku was leading the game with 45 points. Ryonan was not far behind with 40 points. Meanwhile, Sakuragi's gang had tied Shizumi up because she was talking too much nonsense and had already insulted Ryonan five times.  
  
"Yosh, we're ahead now," said Akagi, wiping away his sweat with a towel.  
  
Mitsui was sitting down on the bench, shaking his head.  
  
"Insensible ." Mitsui muttered to himself. "That red head's gonna regret one day."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
Sakuragi could seem to hear Mitsui from far with his super sharp hearing sense.  
  
"I didn't do anything to YOU, Micchy, so why should I, the tensai, regret anything? - or are you just jealous that I play better than you, eh?"  
  
"Oh, I'm not talking about you," Mitsui replied. "It's the other red head - Shizumi."  
  
"Mitsui, can't your cousin say anything good for a change?" said Ayako, looking a bit frustrated.  
  
"She's always been like that," he said. "Only she can stop herself."  
  
"OK, tell you what," said Kogure. "Bring her to my house this weekend and I'll try to -"  
  
"Iya, Kogure," Mitsui objected. "You'll be sick for a month."  
  
"So what can we do?" asked Ayako.  
  
"I'll send her to the mental hospital next -"  
  
"Mitsui-san!"  
  
"Nani? There's nothing else we can do about that little brat."  
  
"Have you ever tried doing the same thing she does to you to her?" asked Ryota, who was obviously eavesdropping.  
  
"Err . no."  
  
"Then why don't you try it?" said Ryota, giving Mitsui his usual I'm-daring- you-to-do-it look. 


	4. Counter attack!

Chapter 4  
  
Mitsui thought for a moment. It WOULD be fun to act like Shizumi and let her feel how tortured he was whenever she was around, but she would probably beat him up for treating her like that or maybe report to his mother and father. He was speechless. He was about to answer Ryota when a voice spoke from inside his head.  
  
"Do it, you coward! Chicken! Scaredy-cat!"  
  
"Nani?" Mitsui replied to the voice. He didn't have to say it out loud, though.  
  
"Know the brand Nike?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Know their motto?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"For once, HEED THEIR MOTTO!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"JUST DO IT, STUPID!"  
  
"Just do it?"  
  
"Just do it! She's only a kid, duh ."  
  
"Who are you, anyway?"  
  
"I'm a 3 billion year old alien brain cell planted in your head by the Tiny Brainy Skull Aliens three seconds after you were born."  
  
"Oh, and you think I'm gonna believe that?"  
  
"If you're dumb enough, you would."  
  
"So . you want me to just do it?"  
  
"HELLO?! EARTH TO MITSUI HISASHI! THIS IS NOT LIKE YOU! WHY ARE YOU SUCH A SCAREDY CAT?!"  
  
"Hey, stop calling me that, you unknown thing in my head!"  
  
"Then just tell that muffin head that you'll do it! And make sure you're not out of character anymore, or I'll haunt you for the rest of your life!"  
  
"OK, I'll do it! Just shut up and let me be!"  
  
Mitsui had shouted out his last sentence. Everyone stared at him.  
  
"Micchy . I was just trying to help you, as a friend," said Ryota, looking quite depressed. He wasn't smiling anymore. He shook his head and looked away.  
  
"Ryochin! I wasn't talking to you!" Mitsui tried to explain. "There was this strange voice in my head and I was talking to it . and I accidentally shouted out what I said to it!"  
  
Ryota suddenly burst out laughing.  
  
"Hey, calm down, dude! I was just joking, duh!"  
  
Mitsui stood frozen at the spot, feeling humiliated. He forced a fake laugh.  
  
"I was joking, too, Ryochin," he laughed falsely.  
  
"Ne, don't call me Ryochin," said Ryota.  
  
"Don't call me Micchy, then."  
  
"But I can still call you Mitchan, right?"  
  
"No. I'll punch you if you call me Micchy or Mitchan."  
  
". What about sushi king?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Oi, Ryota! Mitsui! What're you standing there for?" shouted Akagi. "The second half has already started, bakamoonga!"  
  
***  
  
"The game with Ryonan yesterday wasn't as bad as we thought, right?" said Ayako.  
  
"Yeah . at least we lead by 2 points," said Kogure.  
  
"Thanks to the tensai basketball man Sakuragi Hanamichi!" exclaimed Sakuragi, pointing at himself.  
  
"Your remarkable lay-up shot in the last 5 seconds was unbelievable," said Mitsui.  
  
"Unbelievable, because you're usually not the life-saver," said Ryota.  
  
"Teme, Ryochin!"  
  
"O'hayo gozaimasta!"  
  
"Oh, no . she's here," Mitsui muttered under his breath.  
  
"Go on . do it," Ryota whispered.  
  
"Not yet, I have to wait till she does something first."  
  
"Yo, sushi king, those Ryonans were absolutely awful yesterday, weren't they?" Shizumi said.  
  
"Not exactly awful, but I'd say that you were, pepperoni," Mitsui replied.  
  
Ryota snorted and closed his mouth to fight back a laugh.  
  
"Pepperoni?" she choked. "Come on, I hate pepperoni!"  
  
"Good on you, lizard breath ." said Mitsui, giving Shizumi a thumbs-up.  
  
"Ooh, I'm scared! Mitsui's trying to bully me!"  
  
"Ooh, I'm terrified! Shizumi's gonna gobble me up!"  
  
"Teme!"  
  
"Teme!"  
  
"Yamette, sushi king!"  
  
"Yamette, pepperoni!"  
  
"You're not good at it, so quit it!"  
  
"You're not good at it, so quit it!"  
  
Shizumi glared at Mitsui. He stuck his tongue back out at her.  
  
"Do you want to pick a fight with me?!" she snarled.  
  
"Gomen, but I only fight with people who are worth fighting with," Mitsui replied. "You're too short, too young, too annoying."  
  
"Baka! No one's too young to fight!"  
  
"I suppose a new-born baby can kick-butt, then?"  
  
"I'm losing my patience!"  
  
"So am I."  
  
Shizumi attempted to punch Mitsui, but he slapped her hand away. Another attempt to kick him failed, so did the next one, and the one after that, and the one after that.  
  
"Tired?" asked Mitsui.  
  
"I don't get tired so easily, sushi king," Shizumi replied. "Don't underestimate me."  
  
"Hey, I see fire in your eyes! Need some water to put it out?"  
  
"Urusai!"  
  
"On second thought, your tears are enough to take it away ."  
  
"Shut up, will you?!"  
  
"But you don't get tears in your eyes until you cry ."  
  
"Put a sock in it!"  
  
"Someone has to make you cry, or that fire in your eyes won't go away ."  
  
Shizumi took her shoe off and threw it at Mitsui. He couldn't evade it, so it hit his forehead. She looked quite satisfied, seeing the look of pain on Mitsui's face. Ryota seemed to be on the ground, clutching his stomach, laughing silently at the huge footprint on Mitsui's forehead.  
  
"Bull's-eye," she said.  
  
Mitsui threw her shoe back, but her hands were fast enough to catch it before it hit her face. That seemed to go according to his plan, because he took the chance to punch her stomach with his left hand. She flew and hit the wall hard.  
  
"Uh, Micchy ." said Ryota. "I think it was a little too hard."  
  
"Hard?" Mitsui replied. "I've experienced even harder ones."  
  
"No, I mean, really hard."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Look."  
  
Shizumi wasn't moving.  
  
"Nah, she's faking it," said Mitsui. "She'll be getting up any moment."  
  
But she didn't.  
  
"Do you think she might've fainted?" asked Ryota. "She can't be faking it for so long."  
  
"Umm ."  
  
Mitsui was speechless. Maybe he had hit her a little too hard. OK, maybe he was using too much of his energy. Too much revenge going on in his mind at that time.  
  
Finally, Shizumi got up. Blood was streaming down from the end of her mouth.  
  
"Are you satisfied now?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky.  
  
Mitsui noticed that her eyes were beginning to get watery. A tear streamed down her cheek. She was crying. 


	5. Sayonara, my friend

Chapter 5  
  
Shizumi was crying. She had never cried before, not even once (baby days are exceptional). Mitsui had a sudden feel of guilt. Before he could say anymore, she ran out of the gym.  
  
"You hit the spot, Micchy," said Ryota. "You're in trouble."  
  
"I didn't expect that it would end up like this," said Mitsui, grabbing his hair. "Well, maybe she'd be back to normal by tomorrow."  
  
"Normal?!" Ryota shrieked. "I hope that she'd change after you gave her that fatal blow!"  
  
"If I gave her a fatal blow, she'd be dead by now," Mitsui replied.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
***  
  
A week passed, Shizumi wasn't at school at all. No sign of her anywhere.  
  
"What do you think happened to her?" asked Kogure.  
  
"I dunno ." said Mitsui.  
  
"Maybe she died," said Ryota.  
  
"Yeah, maybe she did."  
  
"Mitsui! How can you say that?!" said Ayako. "That's absolutely rude."  
  
"I was just being sarcastic, Ayako."  
  
"Have you tried calling her?" asked Kogure.  
  
"I don't know her phone number."  
  
"Have you tried visiting her?"  
  
"I don't know where her house is."  
  
"What kind of a cousin are you, Mitsui?" asked Ayako.  
  
"A not-so-bad cousin."  
  
"Maybe she'd turn up tomorrow," said Ryota.  
  
"Ryochin, you said that yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and the day before the day before yesterday, and the third day before yesterday, and the fourth day before yesterday, and she still hasn't turned up yet," said Mitsui.  
  
"Well, she might turn up tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow's a Saturday, Ryota," said Kogure.  
  
"OK, on Monday, then."  
  
Mitsui sighed.  
  
"I don't have any idea what happened to her. It could be something bad, or maybe something good."  
  
"Good?" said Ryota. "I don't think anything good could happen to her, unless she has a coma and forgets her old attitude and comes back with a new, good one."  
  
"Ryota, if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all," said Ayako.  
  
"Hai, hai, Aya-chan ."  
  
"Well, there's nothing I can do now but wait for Monday to come," said Mitsui. "Maa, we have basketball practice, don't we?"  
  
***  
  
"Today's Monday . I don't see her ." said Mitsui, looking around while fumbling with his collar buttons.  
  
"Micchy, if you don't keep your eyes on your hands, you're gonna rip your uniform any moment," said Ryota.  
  
"Yo, sushi king!"  
  
A red-haired girl was walking towards them, dressed up in casual clothes.  
  
"There she is!" said Mitsui.  
  
"You know what? You sound as if you just found your long lost girlfriend, Micchy," said Ryota.  
  
"Urusei," he retorted.  
  
"O'hayo, muffin head," said Shizumi.  
  
"Pepperoni can't talk," said Ryota, crossing his hands. "Why are you dressed up like that? This is not a costume party, neither is it a-"  
  
"I'm leaving Kanagawa," she replied.  
  
"Uh-leaving?" said Mitsui.  
  
"Actually, I'm leaving Japan."  
  
"Oh, what good news," Ryota said sarcastically. He nudged Mitsui. "Isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah, it is ."  
  
"I won't be coming back till I finish my studies in America."  
  
"America?!" chorused Mitsui and Ryota.  
  
"You're so lucky, you pepperoni!" said Ryota. "I've never had a chance to go overseas, not even to another state in Japan!"  
  
"Well, that's you, and I don't know what to say."  
  
Shizumi looked at her watch.  
  
"Pi po, I'm running late, the plane's gonna go in ten minutes."  
  
"Chotto matte!" said Mitsui. "Tell me . if nothing happened to you, why didn't you come to school the whole of last week?"  
  
"What else? I skipped school, duh! Oh yeah, and I was faking the crying scene, mind you."  
  
"Faking?"  
  
"How?" asked Ryota. "You'd need onions, not a punch in the stomach."  
  
"I forced the tears out, but the blood was for real."  
  
"Ah, it's so like you, isn't it .?"  
  
"Ne, I think I'll go now. The taxi's waiting. Say goodbye to the basketball team for me."  
  
"Yup, I will," said Mitsui.  
  
Then, Mitsui did something he had never done before. He hugged Shizumi.  
  
"I'll miss you, cousin."  
  
Shizumi looked a bit disgusted, but she was smiling.  
  
"Thanks for the hug, but your hands are a bit sweaty, and I can't breathe properly."  
  
Mitsui let go of her and gave her a slap on the back.  
  
"That's better," she said.  
  
"Ja'na," said Mitsui.  
  
"Ja! I guess I'll be seeing you in five years, Mitsui!" 


End file.
